The present invention generally relates to fluid coupling assemblies and more particularly to a fluid coupling assembly that supports interchangeable fittings of different types to be used based upon the type of mating joint to which the coupling assembly is to be connected.
Today a wide variety of coupling assemblies are used in fluid distribution systems. The coupling assemblies may be provided on different types of equipment such as pumps, valves, circulators, meters and the like. The coupling assemblies may be configured for use with different types of fluids, such as water, oil, fuel, sewage and the like. Examples of existing coupling types include flange type fittings, threaded union type fittings, sweat type fittings, National Pipe Thread (NPT) type fittings, barb type fittings and the like.
Heretofore, different applications have historically used certain types of couplings, regardless of whether such couplings were the most convenient for the application. Also, different geographic areas (e.g. different countries) have predominantly used different types of fittings for a common application. For example, in Europe, certain groundwater applications generally utilize one type of coupling (e.g. a threaded union fitting), while, in the United States, the same groundwater applications generally utilize a different type of coupling (e.g. a flange fitting).
Problems arise when using a coupling assembly to transition from a pipe using one type of fitting to a pipe using a different type of fitting. The problem most often encountered is that a user had to stock multiple types of coupling assemblies in order to transition between the various combinations of fitting types. Each type of transition included a separate and dedicated overall coupling assembly structure. Consequently, it was unduly expensive to fully stock a wide variety of couplings. For example, using the four fitting types identified above, ten different combinations of coupling assemblies could be encountered in the field. Carrying ten coupling assemblies is cumbersome and burdensome for the user.
In recent times, more interest has been given to simplify the structures and steps for installing fluid distribution systems and equipment. The growing interest to simplify these systems and equipment is due, in part, to the desire of contractors to improve efficiency and, in part, due to the interest of individuals to do more home repair and improvement themselves.
A need remains for an improved coupling assembly that may be used in different applications and with different types of mating connectors. It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to address the above concerns and other problems experienced in the past.